How I built a Solar iPhone Charger for under $50.

Step 2 The Panel

This Solar Panel is a 10W panel made by LaVie Solar. You can check out their website, but your cheapest bet is to use eBay. Their eBay user ID is lavie-inc. I snagged a pretty great deal at $41.45. The panel has a really sturdy build quality. It has an aluminum frame, and seems to be entirely weatherized. I wouldn't have too much of a problem leaving it in the rain. Also, All of the wiring has been done for us which saves a LOT of time. They even put a blocking diode into the connection on the back, so we don't have to worry about that in our circuit.

The panel has an output rating of 21.6 Volts (Open Circuit) and .62Amps (Short Circuit). These are optimal ratings, but when I tested my panel in direct sunlight, that's almost exactly what I got.

As far as efficiency goes, this is not the ideal panel to be using as a direct USB charger. We'll be loosing a lot of energy as heat when we regulate the 20V output down to 5V to match USB standard. However, using a larger panel means that there will be more current flowing even when there's not a lot of sun. I've even seen my iPhone charging when the solar panel is in the shade!

Comments

[monkyDJ]

Do you need more then 10 w???